Ho Ho Ho! Start booking your Christmas holiday

young boy with his legs over the suitcase waiting at the airport with santa hat on the feet

We know, you’re still reeling from the freezing winter winds, but what’s the best way to combat the chills? To imagine yourself somewhere warmer.

And what’s even better than imagining? Booking a trip!

Yes, Christmas is months and months and months away, but according to Skyscanner Australia, there’s no time like the present.

They’ve done (basically) all the hard work for you: and have conducted an analysis of actual flight fares paid by travellers for holidays during the festive period in 2016.

Why? To help us 2017 Aussies find the best possible time to book flights for the hectic Christmas period.

And the results are shocking – you can save up to 15 per cent on flights to the top 12 destinations in the world if you book flights now rather than later.

So what’s the best time to book?

Could you book your flights this week? The Skyscanner data found that travellers who booked this time last year saved around 11 per cent on return flights from Sydney to Bali, and up to 20 per cent on return flights from Perth to Shanghai, during the Christmas week.

Aussies who booked 15 weeks ahead (now-ish) of their Christmas holidays got ridiculous savings, like return flights to Fiji 18 per cent cheaper, and flights to Honolulu over 20 per cent cheaper.

And the worst time to book?

Obviously last minute, days-before-Christmas flights are not your friend, and will take all your spending money.

But surprisingly, Sydneysiders paid 37 per cent more when they booked 11 weeks in advance – with flights to Fiji booked nine weeks out sky-rocketing to over triple the price.

Los Angeles flights were found to be the most expensive on the site though, with Melbourne based Aussies paying over double the average – nine weeks in advance.

Top destinations for top savings

London – 37 per cent cheaper when booked 10 weeks out
Kuala Lumpur – 31 per cent cheaper when booked 13 weeks out
Singapore –25 per cent cheaper when booked eight weeks out

If this is all too confusing, check out this handy guide here on when you should (and shouldn’t) book flights.

You can also set up Price Alerts for the flights you’re coveting – to be notified when fares rise and fall. Happy booking!

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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